The Gang Gets In Trouble &Manages To Survive Again
by plastictoyring
Summary: long title, good story. how season three should go. read it because you're going to like it and then review to tell me how much you did like it. updating frequently.
1. Chapter 1

So here I am. Writing fanction, something I haven't done for about…three years? The following is what I believe the third season should be. Forgive my loose handle on the characters; it's been a while since the season finale. I'll get into the groove eventually.

George and Alex did not look at each other as they followed Izzie out of the hospital. Her dress flew out behind her gracefully as her long strides broke into a run. George paused before quickening his step, unsure of what to do, and therefore Alex caught up to her as she finally collapsed in the middle of the empty parking lot. She crumpled like a wilted flower, her face hidden in her hands. She wept loudly as Alex knelt to comfort her. George, seeing the intent look of caring on Alex's face, stopped a few feet away from them and watched. He could tell how Alex felt and did not want to intrude on something that was obviously so important to him.

"Izzie," Alex said. She did not reply, but her sobs became silent, as she looked up at him, her face in sheer agony. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her and keep her upright. "Let me take you home." She stared at him, sniffling. George backed up, slowly. His heart wanted to be where Alex was, in the position to comfort his best friend. What right did Alex have, taking her home when she lived_ with _him? But then his brain took over. He knew very well how much Alex liked Izzie. And so he let Alex pick her up again. He let Alex take her to his car, and he let them drive off.

"Meredith?"

"Meredith?"

She stood there, her mouth open. Well. This was great. Just what she needed. But really, what could she have expected after somewhat accidental prom sex?

She looked at Finn, the smart choice. He was perfect. Completely understanding, kind to a fault, charming, and (perhaps most importantly) he was handsome.

She looked at Derek. He was emotionally confused, inconsistent, wishy-washy, and a proven liar. How could she be attracted to that walking tragedy? He made a noise in his throat, almost as if he had heard this last thought. Finn became impatient.

"She came here with me," he reminded Derek.

"Well she's leaving with me. Mere, we have to talk."

"Are you seriously gonna take this?" Finn asked her. Finn was obviously a little jealous, and (although flattered) Meredith did not want this argument to go any further. She inched towards Finn. Derek stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, but this is a little important," he said, impatiently. "Meredith? Let's go." McDreamy played the seniority card at exactly the right moment. Finn stepped forward.

"No. I have had it with you two. Let it go man, she wants me!"

"Um, 'man,' I thought I told you. I need to speak with her."

"Why do you have to pursue this?"

"Why do _you_ have to blow this up?"

"Guys," Meredith said in disbelief. "C'mon. This isn't high school."

Derek took another stop forward, practically nose to nose with Finn. It was at this moment both George and Addison came back into the hospital. Meredith jumped next to Finn, to quiet any suspicion Addison may have formed.

Derek and Finn did not notice Addison or George, who stopped their entrance in confusion. "De-"Addison began questioningly, just as Derek pushed Finn.

"You need to back off," he said angrily.

"You need to chill!" Finn said, getting up slowly, obviously not wanting to continue the fight.

"Meredith. We…uh…need to get home. For Izzie," George said, getting nervous from all the hostility.

Meredith faltered before saying definitively, "You're right. Finn?"

"I'll drive you home."

"Good." She said, looking at McDreamy defiantly. He suddenly looked very tired, and very defeated. His puppy dog face had eyes only for Meredith as she turned and walked out of the hospital with George and Finn, never looking back. Addison and Derek were alone.

"Um, what was that about?" she said, laughing nervously.

"Nothing," he mumbled angrily. "Let's go."

"Okay," she said, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

Alex hated the silence in the car, broken only by the occasional sniffle or rustle of Izzie's dress. She looked outside the car window thoughtfully. He drove up to her house, which was completely dark and very sad-looking, almost as if it too was in mourning.

He stayed in the driver's seat after he turned off the ignition, his hands still on the steering wheel. He wanted to say something; the silence between them grew uncomfortably long. He got out and opened the door for Izzie, who refused to move. He picked her up yet again, silently, and carried her into the house, which was unlocked. He carried her upstairs to her room, and laid her on the bed. Her face was devoid of emotion. Pausing for a moment, he sat her up and helped her out of her dress, which she let him do. All the will had left her long ago. He rummaged in her dresser and found pajamas, which he helped her into.

He pulled the covers down and helped her get under them, tucking her in with such tenderness that Izzie almost thought he was Denny. Happily she pretended he was him as he sat down on the bed and laid down next to her, putting his arm around her in as friendly a way as he could. She nudged her back gently against his chest as she quickly fell asleep, exhausted after the day's events. Alex stayed awake, wishing he could see her tearstained face in calm sleep.

George led the way as he, Meredith, and Finn exited the hospital. George hated the tension and his earnest departure displayed this. Meredith suddenly stopped, and reached for Finn's shoulder to stop him. George noticed them stopping and got in the car anyway to give them their privacy.

"Finn…I don't know if you should…um…go home with me tonight." He looked at her, his eyes asking the reason. Meredith scrambled for a lie. "Because…Izzie, she…well, she's really upset, and I'd just hate for you to have to see her like that, and…"

"You need some time to think about what just happened with me and Derek," he said knowingly.

Meredith smiled at his ever-speedy understanding. "Yes. I'm sorry, it's just that-"

"Say no more. I know when a woman needs her space. Tell you what…will you call me tomorrow?"

"Yes," she said.

"Great." He leaned in to kiss her cheek, but thought better of it and gave her a weak one-arm hug instead. "Talk to you then." He turned, got into his car, and drove off.

Mere went quickly to the car. She opened the front door and found George in the driver's seat. "I can drive, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," George said patiently. He held out his hand for the keys, which Meredith surrendered reluctantly.

After they had driven in silence for a few moments, George turned to her. "What was that back there?"

Meredith pointedly looked the other way. "What…what was what?"

George turned back to the road, slightly ticked off that she wouldn't just talk. "You know what. Why was Dr. Shepard so mad at your date?"

"Umm…George," she said, trying to prepare. "Derek and I…during the prom we…um…"

"What? What did you do during prom?" George insisted.

"We kind of…did something…in another room of the hospital…that I'm…not particularly proud of."

George put on the brakes so quickly that the car behind them honked violently. George and Mere rocked back and forth with the car. "What? Meredith! How could you be so stupid?" She was surprised by his reaction.

"I actually didn't think it was _that_ awful," she said defensively. "I mean, no one knows…except Callie…"

"Callie was there!"

"She walked in on us," Meredith explained quickly.

"Meredith, I thought you were done with him," George said evenly as he started driving again.

"I am. I mean…I was. I don't know." She felt a little uneasy opening up to George, but felt that she had to talk to someone. "I thought I was, but I think that was only because I told myself that I was. Now I don't know what to think about him."

"Meredith," he said, very forcefully. "You have to let him go. You can't keep teasing him like this, he'll go crazy."

"You're right," she lied, gazing out the window much like Izzie did half an hour before.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the great response. I think I'm beginning to remember the characters.

* * *

George and Mere arrived at the house about forty-five minutes after Alex and Izzie did. They entered the house fearing the worst – Izzie with her leg out the window threatening to jump. They walked all around the first floor silently, trying to find Izzie. Surprised, they found her and Alex in her bed. Alex had dozed off but awoke when Meredith tapped him.

"What are you doing?" George asked curiously in a whisper, so as not to wake Izzie.

"More importantly, what _did _you do?" Meredith hissed.

Alex frowned, offended. "Nothing," he insisted. "I'm tryin' to be a friend over here. She needed support, and since you two were too busy I decided to lend a hand."

"Hopefully no more than one," Meredith scoffed.

"I wasn't too busy!" George said loudly. Izzie shifted but stayed asleep. Meredith and Alex shushed him, and he continued in a whisper. "I was right behind you, remember? I went back for Meredith."

"Whatever," Alex mumbled. George and Mere stayed where they were, waiting for Alex to get up. He didn't get the hint.

"Hey, Alex, how about going home?" George said, still a little hurt about Alex's remark.

"Oh. You guys…sure you can deal with her?"

"Yeah," Meredith said sarcastically. "I think we can handle her."

Alex got up reluctantly, and both George and Meredith noticed how his arm lingered on Izzie before he got off the bed. Izzie's eyes stayed shut. No one said anything as Alex picked up his suit jacket and went out the bedroom door. George and Meredith considered Izzie's tearstained face.

"I hope she'll be okay," George said quietly.

"I hope so too," Meredith said. "Oh, Izzie. What have you gotten yourself into? You certainly have a lot to think about."

"I hope we can get her her job back."

"Hmm," Meredith said. "That's going to be hard. She really dug herself a deep hole."

"Chief'll understand," George said confidently. "It's not like she's gonna go kill somebody else to save their life."

"I hope not," Meredith said with a weak smile as she left the room. George followed her, closing the door after one final worried glance at Izzie. After they left, she opened her eyes and turned on her back. Mere was right. She had a lot of thinking to do. About Denny, about her job, and about her friends…especially Alex.

* * *

Addison frowned, as she always did, when the trailer came into sight. She despised the trailer. The small space made it harder to deal with all the tension she'd been having with Derek lately.

She opened the door and held it out for Derek, who walked in silently, not looking at Addison, very occupied with his thoughts. She tensed as the screen door slammed behind him.

He tried to go past her to the 'bedroom area' but she put her arm out, her hand resting on the kitchen counter, so he couldn't pass.

"We need to talk," she said very evenly.

"Fine," he said, still not looking her in the eye.

"What was that all about?"

"He was being rude to Meredith and I tried to get him to leave her alone," he lied.

"You know I can't believe you. You two were fighting over her, I could tell," she said knowingly, wishing very hard for him to look at her. "Damn it Derek, why can't you just talk to me? Like you used to?"

He was still surly after the fight, in which he was the loser. "Because we're not like that anymore, Addison. You and I both changed the night you slept with someone else."

"Don't bring that up now! How dare you bring that up now. That is not what we are discussing!"

"Yeah? Then what are we discussing?" he challenged.

"We're discussing the fact that you can't let go of your one night stand!"

"She wasn't just a one night stand!" His volume had increased considerably and this shut Addison up. They both stayed silent, Addison's arm still in Derek's way. Neither one looked at the other.

A question formed in Addison's head, one that she was afraid to ask. "Do you love her?" she whispered.

He looked out the window, unresponsive. "Do you love her?" she asked, louder. Still, nothing. "Do you love her?" she shouted, her face too close to his.

He looked up, finally looking her in the eye. "Yes." Addison let go of the counter, her grip had turned her knuckles white. She wiped away a tear as she pulled back a bit.

"Oh," she said simply. He wouldn't stop looking at her, with that calm, tired stare of his. She wished he would stop. She wished he would kiss her. She wished he would leave. She wished he would stay.

She turned and walked towards the bed. He didn't follow her. He opened the door and left. The screen door slammed but Addison did not react as she collapsed on the bed, crying loud enough for him to hear outside the trailer.

* * *

Meredith had trouble sleeping that night. She found herself entering George's bedroom, where she found him, too, awake. She crawled onto his bed and yawned.

"I can't sleep," she complained.

"Count or something," he mumbled, turning his back to her to look out the window instead.

"Let's count our problems, that should take awhile. One…Denny died. Two…Izzie was in love with Denny. Three…Izzie tried to kill Denny. Four…Izzie lost her job."

"Five…" George chimed in, looking out the window. "Derek is here."

"What?" Meredith said, sitting up to look over George. Sure enough, she could see his car outside. He was feet away from their front door. She threw herself on the bed and pulled the covers over her head as the doorbell rang. "I'm not here!" she insisted, kicking George. "Go tell him I'm not here."

George pulled his pillow over his ear. "Deal with your problems Meredith. It's healthier than hiding."

"Since when were you my guidance counselor?"

George kicked her. "Fine," she grumbled. "But I'm blaming you if this blows up in my face."

"Fine," he said.

Meredith hurried downstairs as Derek rang the doorbell a second time. She passed by a mirror and stopped. She looked terrible. Quickly she pulled her fingers through her hair as he rang the doorbell a third time. Afraid that he would wake up Izzie, she abandoned her hair and ran to the door. She opened it as he raised his fist to knock.

"Oh. You're…uh…here."

"I do live here."

Silence. "What do you want?" Meredith asked.

Derek hesitated. "Can we just talk?"

"Sure," she said, staying in the doorway, trying to fight the temptation to invite him in.

"So…um…tonight was…interesting."

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding slightly.

"You're not helping," he said, smiling a little. She said nothing, not really wanting to help him. "What does this mean?" He echoed his previous question (you remember, he kept on saying that after the steamy prom scene) in attempts to provoke a response.

She searched for an answer but found nothing. "I don't know."

"Help me out here, please," he said, desperate. "We need to settle this. We need to…figure this thing out and be done with it."

"No," she said slowly.

"No what?"

"We can't just be done with it. That's too idealistic. Listen to yourself. Either wayyou go, you can't just forget. If you and I together, you'll think about Addison. If you and Addison are together, you'll think about me. No matter what, Derek, you're going to lose. And I don't think I can make this decision for you. You've got to go and choose for yourself. Because I'm done with you second guessing yourself, and I'm done trying to help you."

Derek sighed. Meredith watched him. She fought hard not to think about what they had done at prom.

Finally, he turned, and walked towards his car. Meredith closed the door and leaned against it, listening to his car drive away as she slowly slid down the door.

AN: Whooooo will he pick? I don't know!

PS Yeah I do. But you don't.


	3. Chapter 3

So this has been a fun time…but where are Christina and Burke? Don't worry. It's all good in the hood for our favorite multi ethnic couple. But for future reference, I cannot remember a thing about what was going on between those two. It's very vague.

* * *

Christina spent the night at Burke's side in the hospital. She held his good hand loosely as she snored quietly, her head at an awkward position on his bedside. Burke stayed awake, enjoying this precious time where he actually got to touch her. 

Instead of spending his time worrying about himself and his future, his thoughts were with Denny and Izzie. Izzie was going to be in so much trouble. He did not envy her situation. She had done something to outrageously unethical. No doctor would ever dream of killing a patient, especially to abuse the rules of another medical organization. His experience told him that Izzie would never have a job at Seattle Grace or any other hospital. She needed a miracle. Ironically, so did he.

He tightened his grip on Christina's small hand for comfort. Her show of support earlier was incredibly encouraging. She had finally let go of her emotional issues. Hopefully this new Christina was here to stay - he would need her in the next few weeks.

* * *

George awoke after a few hours less sleep then he would have liked. At least he had a day to himself today with a night shift. 

He rolled out of bed in boxers and old slippers, and groped his way down the hallway to the bathroom. He yawned absently and scratched himself as his other hand waved around the general area of the light switch. He turned on the light and examined himself in the mirror as his arm reached out and turned on the shower. A yelp greeted the splash of water on the shower floor. George jumped and shouted in surprise. He opened the door of the shower to find Alex curled up on the floor, sputtering in the cold water.

"What'd ya do that for?" he demanded as George quickly turned off the water.

"What the hell are you doing here?" George said, completely confused. Now that he looked around the bathroom, he saw Alex's suit jacket, pants, shirt, and tie folded neatly on the toilet. Alex got up, his undershirt and boxers soaked. George handed him a towel apologetically.

"I stayed here last night because I was worried about Izzie," Alex explained angrily, grabbing the towel and drying himself off. "I didn't trust you idiots to take care of her."

"I'm sorry, what authority do you have in this situation?" George asked, still a little mad about his early morning fright.

"Lay off, I'm her friend too."

"Since when?" George asked, defensively.

"Since now!" Alex said, annoyed.

"Could you leave now?"

"No!"

"At least leave the bathroom!"

"Fine!"

Alex walked out, grabbing his clothes and shoes. Meredith opened the door to her room, yawning. "Alex? What are you doing here?"

"He stayed over because he was worried we wouldn't take care of Izzie!" George shouted through the bathroom door.

"You didn't trust us to take care of Izzie?" Meredith asked.

"No, okay. No," Alex said.

"Ouch," Meredith joked. "Why are you all wet?"

"He slept in the shower," George shouted.

"You slept in the shower?" Meredith asked in teasing disbelief. "How could you even fit in there?"

They stopped their joking when the door to Izzie's bedroom slowly swung open. The smile faded from Meredith's face.She realized how loudly they had been talking. Izzie emerged from her bedroom, her hair and make-up from the previous night still in place.

"Guys…I had a rough night. Do you want to just…remind me exactly what happened yesterday? I can't…" Her sleepy confusion caused her words to be slow. "I can't tell what was a dream and what wasn't."

Meredith walked over to her and took her hand. Alex stayed where he was, watching Izzie intently. "Izzie, Denny died. You quit your job before the Chief could fire you for malpractice." Izzie nodded, biting her bottom lip and fighting tears.

"Okay," she said. "So there was no wedding."

"No wedding," Meredith confirmed, her hold tighter on Izzie's hands.

"Damn," she said, laughing. "I had an amazing wedding dress. Like, really gorgeous."

Meredith led Izzie back to her room. She sat her down on the bed and Izzie rested her head on Meredith's shoulder. Alex stayed in the hallway, absently rearranging his pile of clothes. He didn't want to leave.

"Izz…"

"Don't say anything. You…you can't," Izzie said softly. "I just…I just don't know what to do. I was going to marry him. In a really incredible dress."

Meredith made soothing sounds, rubbing Izzie's arm.

"And now he's dead." Silence fell upon them for a while. Meredith heard the shower going again.

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Yeah," Izzie said. "Remind me again…who took me home?"

"Alex," Meredith said.

"And he took me here?" she asked, meaning her bedroom.

"Yes."

"And he's still here?"

"Yes. He slept in the shower. He's really trying to prove something to us."

"Hmm," Izzie said. "And you and George…"

"Were right behind you. We got home just a few minutes after you did." Meredith did not feel it was right to tell Izzie about what happened last night. Izzie had enough to deal with.

"Oh." She paused. "Who's making coffee?"

Meredith sniffed, and smelled coffee in the air. "I don't know. Do you want some?"

"I'll come down," she said. They got up and went downstairs. They could hear George singing in the shower.

Downstairs they found Alex, still in his wet clothes, reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Do you guys want some?" he said, raising his cup in the direction of the coffee pot, which was full. Meredith gave him an I-can't-believe-you're-still-here look and he smiled sheepishly, returning to his paper.

Izzie slumped down next to Alex as Meredith fixed coffee for both of them.

"Meredith, this was in your mailbox," Alex said abesently while reading his paper. He held up a sealed, official-looking envelope addressed to Izzie. He angled it in a way that Izzie couldn't see. She wasn't interested anyway.

Meredith went to the table, coffees in hand. She set one down in front of Izzie, who drank it quietly, examining her cup after every sip. She took the letter from Alex, who looked up from his newspaper to give her a significant look. Meredith looked back at him in a curious but bemused confusion, opened the letter, and scanned it quickly.

"Izzie?" Meredith said slowly. Izzie looked up in response. "I think you should see this," she said, sliding the letter over to Izzie.

Izzie picked up the letter, and her tired eyes looked over it. Her mouth slowly dropped in disbelief.

* * *

AN: Ooooohhh! What was in the letter? Apologies for the short chapter but now you have an intersting cliffhanger. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry the following paragraph is a bit out of sync with the story timeline. It made better sense to put it here.

* * *

When Derek arrived home Addison was asleep. He tried to get ready for bed quietly so as not to wake her. He watched her intently as he got dressed and brushed his teeth, considering the decision he had to make. 

If he hadn't been so focused on his wife's sleeping figure, he may have noticed the divorce papers she had laid out on top of the dresser.

* * *

Izzie read the contents of the letter out loud, her voice a little shaky and devoid of any emotion besides shock. "Esteemed Dr. Isobel Stevens, we send our condolences on the recent death of Mr. Denny Duquette. We at Smith, Smith, and Davis Law were particularly fond of Mr. Duquette and were very close to his personal matters. That is why we sent this urgent letter to inform you that you alone are the sole person mentioned in Mr. Duquette's recently updated will. Just two nights ago we received the new draft awarding you his entire estate, including the rights to his bank account which holds-" here she stopped to take a deep breath. "-approximately $700,000." The rest of the letter she read quickly aloud without really paying attention to any of it. "Please contact us on the acceptance of Mr. Duquette's estate as soon as possible." 

"Wow," Alex and Meredith said together, the coffee and newspaper forgotten.

Izzie dropped the letter, looking around the kitchen as if searching for words. "You'll never have to work again!" Alex said cheerfully, but his smile fell. Izzie was not celebrating.

"He wrote me in his will," she said darkly.

"That's good, Izzie," said Meredith hopefully, smiling and leaning in a little to see her face, which was currently pointed at the table.

"He kept it on his nightstand," she said, swallowing hard to keep the tears away. "He told me. In case…in case he…"

Izzie stopped talking but did not cry. Alex leaned over and reached out for her hand, but he only made it halfway there before Meredith stood up, oblivious to Alex's outreached arm. She took Izzie by the shoulders and led her back upstairs. "Come on," she said comfortingly. "We'll get you dressed."

Alex pulled his arm back, and a scowl fell upon his face. He picked up his mug and his newspaper. He was not going to leave this house.

* * *

Christina awoke to the bustle of nurses around Burke. He smiled at her when she looked up at him. She noticed their intertwined fingers and her hand twitched to escape, but he would not let go. He simply smiled and laid his head back on his pillow, laughing silently at her panicked hand. 

"What time is it?" she asked impatiently to a nurse, subtly pulling her arm back to try and release herself from Burke's grip. He only held on to her tighter.

"About 10 o'clock Dr. Yang." She pulled harder, her face expressing her exertion. He pulled back. She tried to express to him through her face that she did not want to hold hands anymore, but he did not look at her. He just smiled at the ceiling.

"Umm, mind letting go?" He pretended not to hear her.

"I have to get to Meredith's house. Izzie? Remember? I have to go and be a friend or something." Her voice showed a hint of annoyance. The mention of Izzie made Preston let go.

"Tell her I'm really sorry," Burke said very honestly. She nodded.

"I'll be back later tonight," she said, leaning down as if it were an obligation and offering her cheek for a kiss, which he gave her happily.

She left the hospital nervous about what she would find at the house.

* * *

After Meredith helped Izzie shower and get dressed there was little else she could do. From the moment Meredith led her upstairs, Izzie began talking about a cake her mother used to make. Mere could hardly keep her still long enough, she so wanted to bake that cake. Izzie hurried down the stairs, talking earnestly about the amount of powdered sugar she would need. Alex had long since finished his coffee and was now sprawled on the couch watched sports on TV. He stood up quickly and turned off the TV when he heard Izzie's voice float downstairs. 

"And I'll need a couple of extra hands to do all the mixing," she finished, turning to enter the kitchen. Alex ran up behind her.

"I can help," he said. Meredith grabbed him before he could go into the kitchen.

"No. You are going to go home," she said, steering him towards the door.

"What? Why?" he asked, refusing to walk.

"Because George and I can handle this – we can handle her."

"Why can't I be a supportive friend?" he asked, as if there was no possible answer.

"Because it's weird," George said, coming downstairs. "You don't live here, you've never liked any of us, you broke up with Izzie like forever ago."

"Look, I have my reasons for being here," he said, attempting to duck under Meredith's arms to get into the kitchen. He succeeded, and went over to Izzie, who absently handed him a whisk and a bowl, which he began to stir slowly. She placed her hands over his to demonstrate a quick whisking motion, which he did.

Meredith and George stood on the stairs, very confused. Someone knocked on the door, and Meredith and George looked through the window to see Christina peeking out at them. Mere opened the door.

"Hey, thanks for coming."

"No problem," Christina said, walking inside and looking into the kitchen. "It's not like my boyfriend is going through a crisis or anything. What are they doing?"

"Baking," George and Meredith said together.

"Why?"

"She wanted to," Meredith said simply.

"'Kay…" Christina said slowly.

"She just inherited $700,000 from Denny's will," George said.

"Holy shit!" Christina said loudly. Alex turned around, noticed Christina had arrived, and went back to whisking.

"$700,000?" she asked, quieter. They nodded.

"She hasn't accepted it yet," Meredith said cautiously. "I don't know if she will. She got his house and everything. That's going to be hard to deal with."

"Screw dealing, that's a lot of money for your troubles!" Christina said.

No one said anything for a while. They watched Izzie patiently stirring a pot, and Alex whisking more of his mixture on to the counter then inside the bowl.

"She really could have picked a better baking buddy," Christina remarked. (AN: haha! get it? alliteration!)

* * *

Addison woke up before Derek did. She opened her eyes without moving, listening intently for his breath. She heard it. Her heart fell. So. He had come back. He had seen the papers. He'd probably already signed them. 

But why was he still here?

She sat up quietly, trying to see the top of the dresser with the divorce papers. She strained her neck and lifted herself up with her arms, but she still couldn't make out any signatures on the paper. She got up carefully, trying not to disturb him. She went over to the dresser and picked up the papers. She wanted to jump, to shout, to do something to celebrate. He hadn't signed them. And he had come back. Derek had chosen her.

* * *

Callie Torres sat in bed, phone in hand. George was number four on her speed dial. After her mother but before her best friend. That was significant to her. She'd changed the order of her whole speed dial just for him. 

She thought back to the prom. Where he almost told her he loved her. How he wants it to mean something when he does. Her finger hovered over the four. She changed her mind and put the phone down. She would wait for him to call her. She would see him later tonight anyway when he was on duty. They could talk more then. Perhaps she would mention Derek and Meredith. Perhaps she wouldn't. That depended on a lot of things.

* * *

Two and a half hours of bakinglater, George, Mere, and Christina sat in the living room watching TV. They could hear Izzie patiently helping Alex with his task. She was on her third cake and was also completing her second pie on the side. 

"This is ridiculous. Someone should go in there and stop them. They've got about 12,000 calories worth of baked goods in there," Christina said, leaning to peer into the kitchen for the umpteenth time.

"I went an hour ago. It's your turn," Meredith said, flipping the channels idly.

"George? You go," Christina said, kicking him.

"No way, I went already. Christina, you go," George said, physically kicking her off the couch.

"Fine," she said. She got up and very confidently walked to the kitchen. She stopped a few feet away from them.

"Izzie," she said very evenly as if speaking to an unruly kindergartener. Izzie continued to stir. "You have to come out of the kitchen."

"Nope!" she said happily. Christina frowned. She was acting like a crazed lunatic. Christina gave Alex a look, who shrugged.

"She wants to bake," he said simply. "Why stop her?"

* * *

Addison made coffee while humming, tapping her foot and dancing around the trailer. Eventually Derek woke up. He had made his decision. He had a terrible feeling in his stomach about what he was about to do, what he had to do to make things right. 

Addison noticed him standing up. "Come out here, I've made coffee," she sang out.

Derek put his hand on the dresser, which was now bare, for support as he walked off his sleepiness. Addison had shredded the papers and thrown them away earlier that morning.

Derek walked out of the bedroom and his face fell. She was so happy. Probably because he had come home.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said.

Derek was about to speak when Addison cut him off. "Look, before you say anything about how we're going to have to try really hard to make this work or something…I know. I know we have to try. We are going to have to try really, really hard. But…" She smiled, stood up, and took his hand. He looked very confused, but she brushed it off as sleepiness. "I know we can do this. We are going to make this marriage work."

"Addison…" he said, pained. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What?"

"I…I chose Meredith."

Addison let go of him and stepped back. "But…the divorce papers…you didn't sign them…"

"What divorce papers?" He tried to walk towards her but she backed up further.

"And…and you came back…you came back, here…" She began to cry. "No. You chose me, I know you did, last night…"

He had finally backed her up against a wall, and he took his moment to pull her into a hug. She let him, collapsing on his chest.

"Addison…I am so, so sorry. But try to understand. We can't keep going on like this. We can't be married when all I can think about is her."

She hated every word he said but she could not bring herself to pull away. She had to stay close to him, to feel him close to her one last time…She tried to form words to make him stay but she couldn't, she was too devastated and the sobs were too loud.

He let go of her to lift her face up to his. He hated seeing her like this, so upset because of him. Today would be the last time.

She stifled her crying and tried to mentally will him to stay with her. "I can't hurt you anymore. I can't do it. You have to understand. I hate hurting you," he said, so simply that it was hard for her to speak. She could sense the sadness in his voice, which gave her some comfort.

"Then why are you doing it now?"

They stayed there for a moment, neither one moving. His hands still cradled her face and she still had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing.

"Derek, I love you," she said very forcefully.

He leaned in and kissed her very gently. Addison did not pull away. It was hard for him to so, but eventually he did.

She looked at him, unsure of what to do. He let go of her and walked back into the bedroom. She stayed against the wall, wiping her nose and her eyes as he silently packed everything he owned in a large suitcase he had set out the night before. She couldn't believe that she was just standing there as he physically left her. Her heart wanted her to run over, to grab him, to stand in front of the dresser to keep him from packing and leaving. But her brain had listened to what he said. And he made too much sense for her to stop him.

* * *

AN: Wow. Pretty much emo. 

And about the letter…yeah, there's no possible way the lawyers would have: number one found out about Denny's death and number two sent the letter so soon. But just let me have this. Pretend that Smith, Smith and Davis are omnipotent, all-knowing beings who are very in tune with our favorite transplant candidate. And they also know a guy who knows a guy who works at the underground black market post office that sends really fast letters.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry it took so long for this chapter. The next one is going to be super good, I promise.

PS-Those of you sobbing along with Addison, don't worry. I sympathize with her and she's gonna end up happy.

* * *

Derek left the house blinded by the tears welling in his eyes. He could not bring himself to look at Addison against the wall, her arm outreached, beckoning for his return. He hurried outside with his suitcase and his keys. He got in the car a drove to Meredith's house. He slowed as he approached, and ducked when she opened the door for Christina, but left in a hurry. He drove back to the trailer, but changed his mind. He drove back to Meredith's, but changed his mind again and headed for the Emerald City Bar. 

He entered the nearly empty bar and nodded in hello to Joe.

"Hey Dr. Sheperd. You're looking a little down…anything I can do?"

"Yes. Get me something. Something extra strong," Derek said firmly, sitting down on a stool. Joe nodded in understanding, and went to fix Derek a drink.

As Joe was busying himself with the liquor he kept hidden (only using when most needed), the door of the bar opened. Derek did not look up, even as the new customer sat down next to him. Joe gave Derek his drink.

"Callie? What can I get you?"

"Just a water, Joe, I'm going to work soon," Callie said. Derek looked up.

"Oh…uh…Dr. Torres," he said awkwardly. They had barely met in the past, but what she had seen last night changed their relationship considerably.

"Dr. Sheperd," she replied calmly. Derek grabbed his shot glass and gulped the contents down. He swore under his breath and made a terrible face. Callie stifled a giggle as Joe took the empty glass from Derek and handed Callie her water. Joe went to fill Derek's glass up again, but Derek signaled that he did not want anymore. Joe smiled at Derek's discomfort from the alcohol and turned to another customer.

"Listen," Callie started, looking pointedly at her water instead of at Derek. "I saw your car outside, so I came in. What happened last night is going to stay silent so long as I have your promise on one thing." Derek looked up at her expectantly, willing to do pretty much anything. "You have to leave Meredith Grey alone." Derek tried to interrupt, but she raised a hand to stop him. "I know you think that you and she are destined to be together, but trust me, watching you screw her up like that is impossible. You're breaking her heart, Dr. Sheperd. Everyone knows what you two have been doing. Even Addison. And I don't know how long either of those women are going to put up with it."

"Addison and I are getting a divorce," Derek said nonchalantly. "I just left her, actually."

Callie paused, taken aback. "Uh…oh. You…did." Derek nodded. "Well then." Callie wanted to leave, but couldn't. "So you're going to try to take Meredith back?" she blurted out in angry disbelief. He nodded, and motioned for Joe to get him another drink.

"You're a bigger idiot then I thought," Callie said with contempt. She got up and left as Derek swallowed yet another drink.

* * *

Meredith, George, and Christina were ready for work earlier then they needed to be. The three of them agreed to go together, thinking that tonight was going to be one of the longest they would ever have. Alex had left, finally, after Christina complained that his boxers were offensive, but had let everyone know that he planned to come back to go to work with them. When asked why, he responded very sincerely that they needed to go as a team. They waited until he left to laugh at this remark. 

The three interns had reluctantly left Izzie to her baking. The table was covered with pies, cakes, and cookies. George had tried on more than one occasion to actually eat some of this delicious looking food, but Meredith had slapped his hand away. "It's hers to do with what she wants," Meredith had told him.

When Alex had arrived back at Meredith's house and they had let him in, the four of them turned to look at Izzie, who was looking through a cabinet in distress. "Do…do we have any more flour?" she asked, half her body practically inside the cabinetry.

Meredith took a deep breath. She had seen this moment coming and had prepared. "Izzie, you've used up all the flour. Why don't you just sit on the couch and put on a movie while we're at wor-I mean, while we're gone."

Izzie pulled herself out of the cabinets and sat on the floor like a child, her exhaustion catching up with her. "No…I just need to make a few more things," she began, her eyes shining. She looked up at all of them, who pretended to not just have been staring at her.

Christina took a step back and pulled them all with her. They all ducked down, forming a sort of intern-huddle.

"Okay guys, even I can tell that we can't leave her here," Christina said.

"We have to take her to the hospital with us," Meredith said. The others began to protest, but they all knew that it was the only way to keep her occupied and under surveillance.

They came out of their huddle to find Izzie crying on the floor. Silently, they all descended upon her, George and Alex picking her up by the arms and Christina and Meredith taking her hands, leading her into the car.

* * *

Addison stayed against that wall of the trailer long after Derek had walked out with his suitcase. She cried harder than she ever had before and she had trouble calming herself down. She couldn't believe it. He had actually left her. Granted, there were times where she had prayed for this moment to come. But she'd never really believed it would. She felt sick. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. Feeling only worse, she cleaned herself up and went for the phone. 

" Addison?"

"Mark?" she said, between sobs. She had called him a lot in the past few weeks, whenever she felt overwhelmed by the marriage.

" Addison, what's wrong?" he asked quickly, worry in his voice. He was secretly happy to hear her voice again.

"Mark…you were right. You were so…so right."

"No," Mark said slowly, wishing he could reach out to comfort her. But unfortunately he was in New York and she was still in Seattle. " Addison, he didn't."

"He left me…for…that intern." She stopped crying now, thinking about Meredith and Derek together. She felt a headache approaching, probably from all the crying. She tried to stop.

" Addison…" he said, not knowing what else to say.

"I just…" she began, her voice shaking. She took a breath and composed herself. "I did so much for him. To convince him that I was sorry. For sleeping with you. I really tried really hard to ignore everything between them. Those looks they had every time their paths crossed. Those awkward moments whenever I found them together. I mean every single time I saw them, they were together. And they got so quiet when I came. He was always with her." She said all this as if it was unbelievable, but Mark knew very well what Derek and Meredith did. His short trip to Seattle told him volumes.

"Addison," Mark interrupted, feeling upset just because she was, "you can't blame yourself. You tried very hard to make the marriage work. It's his fault. He's to blame. He didn't try-"

"Don't you get it?" she asked, a little hysterical. "He didn't try because he didn't care!" She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I wonder if he _ever_ loved me," she said quietly.

"He _neve_r loved you like I did," Mark said, so quiet she almost didn't hear him. "Like I still do." No one said anything for a while.

"Mark, I…" Her instinct told her to tell him to stop, that she was married. But then she realized that she was not married. Something changed inside her at that moment. She didn't have to try and please Derek anymore. She didn't have to ignore her feelings for Mark. She didn't have to work at Seattle Grace. She didn't have to live in this crappy trailer. Addison almost smiled.

"I think I need to leave Seattle. Can I stay with you?" she asked quickly.

Mark was surprised. "Are you sure you want to leave?"

"Mmhmm," she said, glancing with disgust at the walls of the trailer bathroom.

"Okay. When will you get here?"

"As soon as I can," she said, already packing.

* * *

George sat with Izzie in the backseat of Meredith's car. Christina and Alex took their own cars and followed. Seeing that Izzie was completely out of it, staring out the window, George asked, "What are we going to do with her? She's probably not allowed within a mile of the hospital." 

"We'll have to sneak her in. And take turns watching her."

"Like you did with the dog?"

"Like I did with the dog."

"I'm not a dog," Izzie said vaguely.

They arrived at the hospital soon after. Christina and Alex hurried to Mere's car before Izzie got out. The interns formed a human wall as Izzie walked behind them. As they approached the doors they changed formation, forming a circle around Izzie. Christina finally pushed Izzie's head down, as she was much taller than any of them and was very easily seen.

Meredith scanned the lobby for any signs of Derek. She dreaded seeing him today, knowing what he was going to tell her. Deep down, she knew he would pick Addison, just like before. Her heart also fell at the prospect of calling Finn, which she remembered that she hadn't done yet.

But Derek was not in the lobby. No one of importance was, which made it easy for them to sneak to the lockers in their tight arrangement. Anyone who saw them was suspicious, but they were having too much fun to care. Izzie tried to break the formation to leave the hospital once or twice but someone always stopped her. When they got to the locker room, George took watch as the others got their scrubs on (AN: similar to getting one's groove on). All except Izzie, whose arms reached for her locker out of habit. Her hands fell when she couldn't find the lock.

"They already took my lock," she remarked.

Meredith came over to Izzie and spoke to her while she changed. "Listen, Izzie. I know it's hard to be back in the hospital but we couldn't leave you at home. Someone is always going to be with you, except for right now because we have to report to Bailey and we're late. You're going to have to wait in that closet upstairs-"

"The one everyone has sex in," Izzie confirmed.

Meredith faltered. "Uh…yeah, I guess…anyway, are you going to be okay?"

"Please don't ask me that."

The door suddenly banged open, and they made a mad dash to stand in front of Izzie.

"There you are! The Chief needs to see all of you – now! And when he's finished with you, if there's anything left, _I _need to see you. Get moving!" Bailey noticed their nervous stance, stepped forward, and pulled George out of formation. She saw nothing behind them.

"What, are you playing Red Rover? What are you four year olds all doin' still standing here? Get out!"

"Yes sir…ma'am…sir." George sputtered. He hurried out, followed by Christina and Alex. Bailey gave Meredith an impatient look.

"I know, go to the Chief's! I'll be right there!" Meredith insisted. Bailey sighed and left. Meredith quickly opened the locker, which she had stuffed Izzie in. Izzie fell out. "Those lockers are really small and pokey," Izzie said as she got up.

"Izzie, you're going to have to stay here until I can come back. I have the first shift of watching you. Can you go into a bathroom stall or something, in case anyone comes in?"

Izzie nodded slowly, and obediently headed for a stall.

"I'll try to hurry back," Meredith called out before leaving the locker room.

Izzie stopped walking towards a stall and instead chose a bench, which she lay down on to sleep.

When Izzie had fallen asleep, the door opened once again, this time hesitantly. Izzie did not wake up when Callie called, "Hello? George? Are you-"

Callie stepped inside the locker room and considered Izzie. Why did _she_ have to keep _everyone's_ secrets?


	6. Chapter 6

AN: In defense of Addison's actions: I envision Addison as the kind of person who wants to deal with their problems and deal with them quickly and in the best way possible. I don't think she's a wallowing-for-days kind of person. She realizes that she needs to move on, and she also realizes that she has nothing left in Seattle (besides that whole…job issue). So she seizes her opportunity.

I also want to apologize for this chapter as it is kind of like filler. But next chapter will be better.

* * *

"Where is Meredith?" The Chief was angry, they could all see that. 

"She was right behind us sir," Christina said, her head down. The three of them were seated in chairs in front of the Chief's desk, with an extra one next to Alex for Meredith. This meeting had obviously been planned.

"Well when is she going to get here?" he asked, just as Meredith ran in, out of breath.

"Sorry chief," she said as she went to her seat.

"Where were you, Grey?"

"Bathroom," she said quickly. The other three looked at her, concerned, but Meredith smiled faintly, trying to tell them Izzie was okay.

"Well now that I have all of you here, I can begin." He began to pace in front of them, much like an angry teacher. "What happened yesterday was disgusting. It was such a gross infraction of everything that medical professionals are to uphold-"

"With all due respect, sir, she was trying to save his life," Alex said, still looking at the floor. Even he was scared.

"I've never heard of saving a life by ending it, have you?" the Chief snapped. He paused and took a breath. "Listen," he said, softening a bit and sitting down at his desk. "I'm not saying that what she did wasn't for the best. I get it. What I'm upset with is that no one tried to stop her. I know you all are bright kids. Tell me, please, why didn't anyone stop her?"

No one said anything. The live-as-a-group, die-as-a-group policy was still in effect, as the Chief noticed.

"Fine," he said, annoyed at how unruly these interns were. He changed the subject. "I know it's going to be hard for Miss Stevens." Everyone noted that he did not refer to her as 'Doctor Stevens'. "Which is going to make it hard for the rest of you. I'm aware that you surgical interns are close. I want to impress upon you the importance of supporting Izzie through this difficult time. She is going to need companionship." Everyone felt awkward that the Chief was giving them unsolicited social advice, but no one said anything. "She's also going to need some talking to. If she wants to be a doctor again, and something tells me she does, she's got some work to do. She needs to contact me before trying to get a job again. Is that clear?"

They all nodded. Meredith squirmed in her seat, impatient. She was worried about Izzie.

"But for now, since we have an extra intern position, we're talking to all the medical schools in the area, trying to get a replacement. We don't want to be understaffed; we all know how that ends up. You will have a new intern within the week.

"Alright. You can go." They got up and left the Chief's office and went to see Bailey.

"So…so that means he might give her a job again, right?" George asked. No one said anything, because no one knew an answer.

* * *

George, Christina, and Alex met Bailey in a hallway. "Where is Dr. Grey?" Bailey demanded. 

"Don't know," George said, trying not to look at Dr. Bailey. She could tell he was lying but did not have the time to track down Meredith.

"Alright, we've got an appendicitis case, pretty simple stuff, Karev, why don't you see to it that she's comfortable. For the rest of you, rounds. Now. And because we're missing an intern you all are going to have to work _extra_ hard. When Meredith gets back from her little 'vacation', she can join you." Bailey handed them the necessary paperwork. The interns were prepared to leave when Bailey said, under her breath, "I hope ya'll are taking care of Izzie." They nodded together slowly, unsure of whether this meant Bailey had seen Izzie or not.

* * *

Meredith entered the locker room, and was happy to find it empty. She headed for the bathroom stalls and almost tripped over Izzie, who had fallen off the bench and was sleeping on the floor. Meredith shook her to wake her. 

"Izzie," she said. "We have to hurry. I'm going to take you upstairs to the closet, okay?"

Meredith helped the half-asleep Izzie up, and led her to the door, which she peeked out of before slowly leaving. She then yanked on Izzie's arm as she dashed for the stairs. Izzie stumbled but followed, not having the energy to cause trouble. After they got past the stairs, where Izzie would be most visible, it was easy to take the unused hallways to the closet in question. Meredith threw open the door and rushed inside.

Izzie crawled up on the bed and tried to sleep again. Meredith sat down next to her. Izzie's eyes were closed, but Meredith knew she was not asleep.

"So," Meredith said. Izzie said nothing.

"Izz…" Meredith pleaded, putting a hand on Izzie's shoulder. "You can't just shut down until you forget about last night – you'll explode. You're going to have to deal. And it'd be better with me than with Christina." She smiled, and nudged Izzie's shoulder. Izzie responded by opening her eyes and biting her lower lip, staring out at the wall across from the bed. She stayed like this, with Meredith beside her, for the rest of the time Meredith spent with her. Meredith wanted to tell her on more than one occasion about what the Chief had said, about the possibility of a job but also about how he was trying to replace her. But she did not. Izzie looked like she had enough to deal with.

* * *

Christina and George were not having any fun. They could never have guessed how hard it would be not only doing their own jobs, but having to make up for the lack of Izzie and cover up for Meredith on top of it. The hospital had an impossibly large number of patients – all of which had nothing unique about them. There were literally no interesting cases, and absolutely no surgeries that needed extra hands (conveniently on the one day where they would be understaffed). Christina was about ready to rip someone's kidney out just to get some excitement into the hospital. George reminded her that, after what Izzie had done, this would be a very, very bad idea. 

Alex was having a similarly boring time, stuck with the appendicitis patient. Upon entering the room, he found a very sweet looking girl no older than thirteen. "Uh…did you need something?"

She looked surprised. "No, I'm perfect, thanks. Did I accidentally press the button?"

Alex didn't really like her innocent tone. Her happiness made him angry for some reason. She sounded fake. "No, I've been…uh…assigned to help you recover from your surgery for some reason."

"Ohhh," she said, a looked of dawning realization on her face. "I know why. My dad, he's the lead singer of Wild Jungle." Alex had no idea what she was talking about and his face displayed this. "They were _the_ best-selling rock group during the late eighties and early nineties? Anyway, my dad's band is looking to donate a bunch of money to get back into people's heads. Your hospital must be interested." She smiled, and Alex saw something so evil in that smile. He wanted to leave, to go check on Izzie. But he knew he couldn't.

He sat down next to her and examined her chart. Her name was Melanie, and according to her chart she had a very smooth surgery that required only a night of recuperation.

He had been looking it over for about a minute when Christina entered the room. "Alex, please tell me this little girl has an impossibly small object that needs removal lodged in her brain," she said as she slumped down on the floor next to him.

"Sorry," Melanie said. "Just a burst appendix."

Christina rolled her head to face Alex. "Why are you taking care of this kid all day?"

"My dad's famous," she said.

"Oh," Christina said, uninterested. Melanie seemed to take offense from this but said nothing. Christina examined Alex. "What's on your shirt?"

"I spilled my tea in the car," Alex said, grumpily. Christina stifled a laugh.

"You drink tea?" she snorted. Alex glared at her.

George ran by the door, looking in for a second before passing. He backtracked and stuck his head in.

"There you are. Bailey wants to know where her suck-ups…I mean, interns are. I think she's suspicious about Meredith," he panted with worry, hunching over to catch his breath. He looked over at Alex. "What's on your shirt?"

"He spilled his _tea_," Christina explained, smirking.

"You drink tea?" George said, trying to keep from laughing.

"I was just trying it," Alex mumbled.

George looked up at the clock. "We should really go."

Christina groaned and stood up. She followed George out of the room, before turning back to say to Alex, "Alex, will you go take my place? I need to visit Burke. I'm sure she'll be fine." She gestured to Melanie.

Alex looked over at Melanie as Christina left. "Some friends you have," she remarked, quite unlike the sweet girl he had first met. He laughed. He liked this new girl better. "_Those_ are the people you have to work with everyday?"

"Yep."

"I'd get 'em fired if I were you," she said, smiling. Alex could see why her smile had put him off. She was genuinely evil. Her charm was completely false. He left the room and followed Christina and George.

* * *

Meredith did not want to leave Izzie when George knocked on the door. Izzie had finally fallen asleep, a single tear stuck on her cheek. Meredith wiped it gently before opening the door, where George was waiting anxiously. She looked around the empty hallway, double checking to make sure no one was there. 

"Anything I should know?" George asked.

"She wouldn't talk to me. She's asleep right now." George nodded in understanding. She left him to the closet. He glanced at her sleeping figure on the bed as he closed the door. He wanted to wake her. He wanted to talk to her, to try to help her deal with last night.

Luckily, he didn't have to wake her up, because as the lock clicked on the door her eyes flew open. George stood for a moment, watching her watching him.

"Why did you guys bring me here?" she asked, after a minute.

"Izz..."

"No, really," she said, almost angry. "Whose bright idea was it to bring me back here? You all tell me to deal – you think this is helping? You think being in this fucking hospital is helping?" Her face broke and tears fell down her face. George felt terrible, realizing now that the hospital must be unbearable for her. He sat down on the bed and pulled Izzie into a hug. Her arms hung limp and she did not rest her head on his shoulder, so he let her go. She pulled her legs up and sat up next to George.

"George…being here is awful. You have to let me leave."

George considered this, thinking about what Meredith and Christina would say. "I can't, Izzie. We can't leave you alone."

"I don't need to be on suicide watch, George. I just…I just need to leave Seattle Grace."


End file.
